One such example is from a white wrestler who stood up for African American rights.
Roscoe Monroe Brumbaugh, best known as Sputnik Monroe, was famous for setting an attendance record that lasted until the Monday Night Wars era in 1995.
Born in 1928, he started his career by wrestling in traveling carnivals. He quickly became a favorite in Memphis, Tennessee, where segregation was the norm.
He was the biggest wrestling draw of his time, but made a distinct cultural statement when he refused to come out until black patrons were allowed to sit in any seat at the Ellis Auditorium instead of being confined to the “colored section.”
It was a small step for equality, but the meaning behind it was much larger than the sport of wrestling.
